Fifth Amendment use on the Hill

IRS official Lois Lerner is expected to use her Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate herself when she comes before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday. Lerner, however, wouldn’t be the first person to refuse to answer questions at a congressional hearing — “Pleading the Fifth” has been used quite a few times in recent years.

At a March 2005 hearing, St. Louis Cardinals slugger Mark McGwire pleaded the Fifth, avoiding questions related to his steroid use before he retired in 2001. McGwire later admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs in 2010.